Ukraine announces 'Normandy Format' meeting in Berlin on Oct 19

Reuters Staff

1 Min Read

KIEV (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has agreed to a so-called “Normandy Format” meeting in Berlin on Oct 19, bringing together Russia, Germany, France and Ukraine for talks on the separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine, a statement said on Tuesday.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko delivers a speech during a ceremony commemorating the victims of Babyn Yar (Babi Yar), one of the biggest single massacres of Jews during the Nazi Holocaust, on the outskirts of Kiev, Ukraine, September 29, 2016. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

Fighting between Ukrainian troops and Russian-backed rebels has killed more than 9,600 since 2014, despite a ceasefire agreed in the Belarussian capital Minsk.

Poroshenko agreed to the talks during a phone call with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande, the statement said.

“The heads of states agreed to have a Normandy Four meeting in Berlin on October 19 in order to put pressure on Russia to fulfill security package of Minsk agreements,” it said.